What causes gastroparesis?

Triggered by certain foods, way of eating, infections, medications etc.

•   Eating fatty /rich foods, late at night or on-the-go

•   Drinking too much alcohol

•   Having a viral stomach upset

•   Imbalance of magnesium, calcium, potassium - these minerals are important operators in muscle function; ideally calcium intake should be twice that of magnesium, but typically in a Western diet, intake is~4 to 1 and magnesium deficiency in the body is common

•   Side-effect of medication - particularly those that slow intestinal contractions; E.g. narcotic pain relievers, opiates, or antibiotics;

•   As a complication of:

Damaged vagus nerve (vagal neuropathy)

Normally, food is moved through the GI tract via contractions modulated by the Vagus Nerve under central nervous system control - which modifies gastric and sphincter contractility in response to feedback from:

-   Stimulation after eating - causes gastric contractions to propagate through the stomach;

-   Various intestinal peptides - E.g. motilin and cholecystokinin;

If damaged, the vagus nerve can send wrong or weak signals between the body and the brain - the vagus nerve can be damaged by:

•  Surgery on the esophagus or stomach

•   Injury or upper respiratory infections

•  When blood glucose remains high for an extended time - as in diabetes and thyroid disease.

•   Alcoholism - found to contribute to vagal neuropathy.

Gastroparesis is usually a consequence of:

-   Any disruption in the timing or strength of normally propagated gastric contractions (i.e. unsynchronized muscle contraction and relaxation / too weak / not frequent enough contractions) - and will cause food not to be propelled forward towards the small intestine for further digestion;

-   Non-opening of pyloric sphincter(valve at bottom of stomach)-its contracting too strongly prevents release of food into small intestine.

Vagal nerve neuropathy can be reversed - when possible, measures can be taken to eliminate the cause of the condition. E.g. diabetics control their blood sugar, alcoholics decrease their alcohol intake. Those recovering from severe upper respiratory infection may regain normal vagal nerve function